Syrup dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispenser according to one example includes a container portion, a collar base portion and a lever portion. The container portion includes a sidewall, a bottom surface, a hollow interior and an open top. The open top includes an upwardly extending neck. The collar base portion includes a neck receiving recess defined therein, a flow aperture defined therein, a receiving cavity defined therein, a dispensing edge defined in a forward portion thereof, an upwardly extending first pivot member, and a handle portion extending from a rearward portion thereof. The lever portion includes an elongated body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a dispensing end and an actuating end. The lever portion defines a cutoff edge adjacent the dispensing end, a second pivot member extending downwardly from the lower surface, and a biasing member extending generally downwardly from the bottom surface.

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to food product dispensers and,more particularly, to a syrup dispenser.

BACKGROUND

Syrup dispensers are frequently employed in food service operations,such as at restaurants, to allow customers to dispense a selected volumeof syrup on their food. Typical conventional dispensers generallycomprise a receptacle or jar-like portion that holds the syrup and adispensing top portion or collar. A horizontally retractable sliding tabis typically provided to seal the dispenser, thereby keeping the syrupfrom spilling in the event that the dispenser is knocked over or falls.The sealing tab also reduces the likelihood of contamination versus anuncovered opening. The sealing tab is biased into the closed positionwith a spring member. The user presses a lever to overcome the springbias, thereby retracting the tab to allow the syrup to flow. Suchdispensers can and are also used to dispense other highly viscous liquidfood substances, including sauces, gravy, chocolate syrup and dressings.

There are several drawbacks to these conventional dispensers. Theoverall collar assembly comprises several separate parts that can easilybreak, such as the spring and the guides that retain the tab through itssliding motion. Syrup also tends to enter the slide tracks of th3e tab,thereby reducing or preventing the closure of the tab by the springmember. The multiple parts are difficult or impossible to separate forcleaning purposes, and then reassemble after cleaning. Also, themultiple components and complexity of the collar assembly createssignificant manufacturing and component costs. Therefore, there is aneed for a syrup dispenser that addresses some or all of these noteddeficiencies of the conventional dispensers.

SUMMARY

The present invention addresses certain deficiencies in the prior art byproviding for a device, method and system of dispensing syrup or otherhighly viscous liquid food product. The dispenser in certain embodimentsincludes a receptacle having a threaded portion for receiving adispenser collar. The dispenser collar comprises a base portion and alever portion. The base portion includes a recessed threaded portion forreceiving the threaded portion of the receptacle. The base portion alsoincludes an aperture in communication with the interior of thereceptacle. A biasing member extends outward from the lever portion andis securably disposed in a recess in the base portion. The aperture isclosed by the lever portion when the biasing member is in the relaxedstate. The lever portion is opened by a pivotal motion when a force isapplied to an opposing end of the lever, thereby placing the biasingmember in a biased state. Releasing the lever causes the lever portionto seal the aperture to cut off flow of syrup.

The dispenser can be used with a variety of food products, such assyrups, sauces, gravy, dressings and other highly viscous liquids orflowable substances.

The above summary is not intended to limit the scope of the invention,or describe each embodiment, aspect, implementation, feature oradvantage of the invention. The detailed technology and preferredembodiments for the subject invention are described in the followingparagraphs accompanying the appended drawings for people skilled in thisfield to well appreciate the features of the claimed invention. It isunderstood that the features mentioned hereinbefore and those to becommented on hereinafter may be used not only in the specifiedcombinations, but also in other combinations or in isolation, withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a syrup dispenser according to certainexample embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a syrup dispenser according to certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 3 is a top view of a syrup dispenser according to certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a syrup dispenser according to certainexample embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a syrup dispenser according to certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a rear view of a syrup dispenser according to certain exampleembodiments.

FIG. 7 is a component assembly perspective view of a syrup dispenseraccording to certain example embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a component assembly side view of a syrup dispenser accordingto certain example embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a component assembly front view of a syrup dispenser accordingto certain example embodiments.

FIG. 10 is a component assembly cross-sectional view of a syrupdispenser taken along line A-A of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a detail section side view of a syrup dispenser according tocertain example embodiments.

While the invention is amenable to various modifications and alternativeforms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in thedrawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the intention is not to limit the invention to theparticular example embodiments described. On the contrary, the inventionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following descriptions, the present invention will be explainedwith reference to various example embodiments; nevertheless, theseembodiments are not intended to limit the present invention to anyspecific example, environment, application, or particular implementationdescribed herein. Therefore, descriptions of these example embodimentsare only provided for purpose of illustration rather than to limit thepresent invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1-6, various external views of a syrup dispenser 100are shown. The dispenser 100 generally comprises a receptacle orcontainer portion 102 and a dispensing collar assembly 104. The collarassembly comprises a collar base portion 106 and a lever or closureportion 108.

Referring to FIG. 10, the receptacle portion 102 has a hollow interior110 defined by one or more sidewalls 112. The bottom surface 114 isgenerally flat so that the dispenser can sit steady on a table or otherflat surface. An upwardly extending neck 116 defines a opening 118 inthe top of the receptacle 102. Rotational threads 120 or other means forsecuring the collar are defined in or disposed on the neck 116. In oneexample, a plurality of half-turn rotational securing male threads areprovided to the neck. Other securing means may be used without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

The outer perimeter shape of the receptacle can take many forms withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. For example the receptaclecan be rounded, square or oval or polygonal-shaped. The outer surfacecan be faceted and provided with flattened sections 122 (shown in FIGS.1-4). The outer shape can also be formed as a more complex shape such aslike a cartoon character, animal, person, house, cabin or a recognizableobject.

The receptacle 102 can be formed of any suitable food-container materialsuch as glass, plastic, rubber and stainless steel. In one exampleembodiment, the receptacle 102 and its various features are a singularor unitarily-molded plastic component. Preferably the material and itsthickness are selected to be cleansed in conventional automatic dishwashing machinery.

The collar base portion 106 and lever portion 108 of the dispensingcollar assembly 104 are each preferably single-piece or unitarily-moldedplastic components. However, multi-piece components are within the scopeof the invention unless specifically restricted by the language of theclaims. These components can alternatively be formed of other materialssuch as stainless steel, rubber and glass. Mixed materials are alsocontemplated. Preferably the material and its thickness are selected tobe cleansed in conventional automatic dish washing machinery.

The collar base portion 106 comprises a neck-receiving recess 124defined in a portion therein and configured to receive at least aportion of the neck of the receptacle. The recess is provided withcorresponding securement means such as grooves or threads 126corresponding to the threads or grooves 120 of the neck 116 of thereceptacle 102. In one preferred example, the grooves provide for ahalf-turn securement and release of the collar to the receptacle.Half-turn threads provide for quick securement and release of thecomponents for filling and cleaning operations. Half-turn threads alsoallow the user to quickly align the respective components to achieveproper rotational alignment or registration of the collar assembly 104with respect to the receptacle 102, if desired.

The collar base portion 106 also can include a protruding handle portion128. The handle portion 128 extends rearward and generally downward andis spaced away from the receptacle sidewalls 112 so that a users with awide range of hand sizes can easily and comfortably grasp the assembleddispenser 100 in one hand. As can be seen by comparing FIGS. 2 and 6,the handle 128 can also have a side-to-side width that is greater thanits front-to-back thickness so that the dispenser is resistant torotational movement in the user's hand. This enhances the security ofthe dispenser in the user's hand, especially for persons with limitedgrip strength.

A dispensing edge 130 is defined in the collar base portion 106 oppositethe handle 128. The dispensing edge 130 can form a generally U-shapedchannel to provide a well controlled flow of liquid from the dispenser.In particular, the angle and spacing width of the sides of the U-shapedchannel shape the flow stream, thereby mitigating drip potential.

A flow aperture 132 is defined in the collar base portion 106, which ispositioned in communication with the opening 118 in the top of thereceptacle. The flow aperture 132 permits the contents of the receptacleto flow out of the receptacle 102. An internal channel 134 defined inthe collar base portion 102 spans between the flow aperture 132 and thedispensing edge 130. The internal channel controllably guides thecontents of the receptacle from to the dispensing edge 130. A ventaperture 136 can be optionally defined in the base portion 106 to allowair to flow into the receptacle as contents is poured out, so that atemporary vacuum is not formed in the receptacle that wouldintermittently interrupt the pouring and possibly cause difficult flowcontrol.

The collar base portion 106 also defines a biasing member receivingcavity 138 or aperture. The receiving aperture 138 is sized to receive asecuring flange portion 166 of the biasing member 150 to securelymaintain the lever portion 108 in place throughout operation. Thesecuring flange portion 166 of the lever portion 108 can also beaccessed by the user from the recessed portion of the collar base 106 sothat the biasing member 150 can be released from the collar base member150.

The collar base portion 106 further includes a first pivot member 140.The first pivot member 140 extends generally vertically upward from thecollar base 106 to provide an elevated pivot surface against which thelever portion 108 can pivot between closed and open positions.

The lever portion 108 includes an elongated body 141 having a dispensingend 142 and an actuating end 144. The elongated body 141 has a topsurface 146 and a bottom surface 148. A biasing member 150 extendsgenerally downwardly from the bottom surface 148. A second pivot member152 also extends generally downwardly from the bottom surface 148. Thesecond pivot member 152 defines a downwardly protruding pivot surface,which pushes against the upwardly protruding elevated pivot surface ofthe collar base portion to provide a generally arcuate pivot motion tothe lever portion 108.

The dispensing end 142 of the lever portion 108 defines a cutoff edge154. The cutoff edge 154 contacts the opposing dispensing edge 130 ofthe collar base portion 106 to quickly break or cut the flow of syrup orother contents, thereby minimizing any surfaces that might retain thesyrup to produce drips and stringy connections of syrup spanning betweenthe dispenser 100 and the user's food or plate. Thus, the potential formess and waste is minimized. Correspondingly, the frequency of cleaningneeded is lessened.

An actuating surface 156 is defined adjacent the actuating end 144 ofthe lever portion 108. A thumb grip feature 158 such as ridges, a pad ora recess can be defined in or provided to actuating surface 156 to guidethe user's hand to the correct placement and to facilitate confidentactuation of the lever portion 108. The thumb grip feature is sized andlocated on the actuating portion such that it is in proximity to thethumb of the user when the handle portion of the collar base portion isgrasped with one hand.

The respective pivot surfaces 140 and 152 can be angled with respect tothe horizon, as is shown in FIG. 11, so that rearward movement of thelever portion 108 relative to the collar base portion 106 is resistedwhen a user pushes downward on the actuating end 144 of the leverportion 108. The opposing angled surfaces of pivot surfaces 140 and 152resisting backward motion of lever 108 with respect to the collar base106 imparts rotational movement to the lever portion 108 to lift thecutoff edge 154 upwards and away from the dispensing edge 130. Suchmovement also creates separation between a portion of the elongated body141 to allow the contents of the receptacle 102 to flow outwards whenuser tips the receptacle 102 with respect the horizon sufficiently topermit the contents to exit the receptacle 102.

The biasing member 150 is generally planar and has a sideways widthgreater than its front-to-back thickness or depth. Thus, a generallyplanar front surface 160 and a generally planar back surface 162 aredefined, with side edge surfaces 164 spanning therebetween. A securingflange 166 extends forwardly from the front surface 160 in order toprovide an upwardly facing interlocking or abutting surface 168 thatresists vertical movement of the lever portion 108 with respect to thecollar base portion 106.

As can be seen in FIGS. 10-11, the biasing member 150 extends generallyvertically downward with a slight angle to the true vertical. This smalloffset generates a cantilever force causing the downwardly extendingpivot member 152 of the lever portion 108 to push against the upwardlyextending pivot member 140 of the collar base portion 106 such that thelever portion 108 is forcibly maintained in the closed position unless arotational moment is generated by pushing on the actuating end 144 ofthe lever portion 108 sufficient to overcome the closure force.

The vertical height (i.e. length) dimension of the biasing member 150and/or its width, taper gradient and thickness dimensions can be variedto define and adjust the closure or bias force that attempts to maintainthe collar in the closed position. The horizontal distance between theinterface of the respective pivot members 140 and 152, and the point atwhich the actuating force is applied to the actuating end can also bevaried to adjust the force necessary to open the collar for dispensing.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10 and 11, to assemble the dispenser 100, the userinserts the securing flange 166 of the lever portion 108 into thecorresponding aperture 138 in the collar base portion 106 until to theretaining flange is engaged. Then the completed collar assembly 104 canbe secured to the receptacle portion 102 by disposing the threadedportion of the receptacle's neck 116 into the corresponding recessedportion 124 of the collar base potion. Then a half turn in a lockingdirection (e.g., clockwise) is made to secure the respective componentstogether. The locking direction is defined by the angle of the threads,and counter-clockwise tightening is also with the scope of theinvention. The syrup or other fluid to be dispensed would be disposed inthe receptacle some time before the collar assembly 104 is secured tothe receptacle.

Disassembly is accomplished generally in the reverse of that describedin the preceding paragraph. In particular, the securing flange 166 ofthe lever portion 108 is pushed backwards relative to the collar baseportion 106 by the user's finger by at least the depth of the abuttingsurface 168 to release the lever portion 108 from the collar baseportion 106.

To dispense the contents contained within the receptacle portion, theuser grasps the handle portion 128, elevates the dispenser 100 above thetarget location where the contents is to be dispensed and tilts orpivots the dispenser 100 forwardly (or rotates it about a side-to-sideaxis through a portion of the receptacle portions body) until thecontents exit the receptacle 102 and enter the collar assembly. The userpresses generally vertically downwards on the thumb grip feature 158 (orif not present, adjacent to the actuation end) of the lever portion 108,thereby rotationally pivoting the lever portion 108, until the cutoffedge 154 rises above the corresponding dispensing edge 130 of the collarbase portion 106, thus allowing the contents to flow out of thedispenser 100. Releasing the actuation portion 144 causes the biasingmember 150 to automatically return the lever portion 108 to the closedstate such that the cutoff edge 154 pinches off the flow of fluid.

The cutoff edge mitigates the potential for dips forming. Also, theuser's ability to adjust flow rate by controlling the size of thedispensing orifice defined between the dispensing edge 130 and cutoffedge 154 further mitigates the potential for drips and the like. Theuser can thus also easily control the flow rate of product.

The use of the biasing member 150 instead of the separate spring used inconventional dispensers saves component cost, enhances reliability andease of cleaning. Also, by reducing the number of components to onlythree (receptacle, collar base and lever portion), costs are reduced,reliability is enhanced and cleaning is easier. The components can alsobe easily and quickly assembled and disassembled for cleaning andoperation, thus saving costs for performing these activities.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments,it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that theinvention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments. It will bereadily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that manymodifications and equivalent arrangements can be made thereof withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure, suchscope to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the appended claimsso as to encompass all equivalent structures and products. Moreover,features or aspects of various example embodiments may be mixed andmatched (even if such combination is not explicitly described herein)without departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispenser comprising: a container portion, thecontainer portion including a sidewall, a bottom surface, a hollowinterior and an open top, the open top including an upwardly extendingneck; a single-piece collar base portion, the collar base portionincluding a neck receiving recess defined therein, a flow aperturedefined therein, a receiving cavity defined therein, a dispensing edgedefined in a forward portion thereof, an upwardly extending first pivotmember, and a handle portion extending from a rearward portion thereof;and a single-piece lever portion, the lever portion including anelongated body having a top surface, a bottom surface, a dispensing endand an actuating end, the lever portion defining a cutoff edge adjacentthe dispensing end, a second pivot member extending downwardly from thelower surface, and a biasing member extending generally downwardly fromthe bottom surface.
 2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the biasingmember comprises a front surface, an opposing back surface, side edgesspanning between the front and back surfaces, a fixed end and anopposing engagement end, the engagement end including a securing flangeextending outwardly from one of the front and back surfaces and definingan abutting surface.
 3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the neckportion of the container portion includes half-turn threads and the neckreceiving recess of the collar base portion includes correspondinghalf-turn grooves.
 4. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein a thumb grip isdefined in the actuating end of the lever portion.
 5. The dispenser ofclaim 1, wherein a vent aperture is defined in the collar base portion.6. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the dispensing edge is generallyU-shaped in a front view.
 7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein thehandle portion includes a sideways width that is greater than itsfront-to-back depth.
 8. A method of dispensing viscous liquids from acontainer, the method comprising: inserting a biasing member of a leverportion of a dispenser into a corresponding receiving aperture definedin a collar base portion of the dispenser until a securing flangeextending from the biasing member engages the collar base portion and afirst pivot member of collar base portion contacts a second pivot memberof the lever portion, the biasing member maintaining the lever portionin a closed position unless an actuation portion of the lever portion ispressed by a user; securing the collar base portion to a receptacleportion of dispenser, the receptacle having a hollow interior containingthe viscous liquid to be dispensed.
 9. The method of claim 8, whereinthe step of securing comprises making a half-turn rotation of the collarbase portion with respect to the receptacle portion.
 10. The method ofclaim 8, further comprising pressing downward with the user's thumb onan actuating end to impart a pivoting movement to the lever portion andcause a dispensing end of the lever portion to rise upwards away from adispensing edge of the collar base portion.
 11. The method of claim 10,further comprising tilting the receptacle portion forwardly away fromthe user until the viscous liquid exits the dispenser.
 12. The method ofclaim 10, further comprising releasing the downward pressing to allowthe lever portion to return to the closed position, thereby causing acutoff edge to cut off the flow of viscous fluid.
 13. The method ofclaim 10, wherein each of the lever portion, the collar base portion andthe receptacle portion are molded of a plastic as single pieces.
 14. Asyrup dispensing system, comprising: a receptacle configured to retainthe syrup, the receptacle including a generally flat bottom formaintaining the receptacle in an upright orientation when placed on aflat surface; a collar assembly comprising a base portion securable tothe receptacle and a lever portion securable to the base portion,wherein the lever portion includes a biasing member extending outwardlytherefrom and the base portion includes a receiving aperture forreceiving a portion of the biasing member, the biasing member arrangedto maintain the collar assembly in a closed position when no force isapplied to the lever portion.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein eachof the receptacle, base portion and lever portion are formed as singleplastic pieces.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein the base portionincludes a handle portion extending therefrom and the handle portionhaving a sideways width dimension and a front-to-back depth dimension,the width dimension being greater than the depth dimension.
 17. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the receptacle includes a neck havinghalf-turn rotational threads and the base portion includes a neckreceiving recess defined therein having corresponding half-turnrotational grooves.
 18. The system of claim 14, wherein the base potiondefines a dispensing edge opposite the handle, the dispensing edge beinggenerally U-shaped in front view.
 19. The system of claim 14, whereinthe lever portion defines a cutoff edge on a first end thereof and athumb grip adjacent an opposing second end thereof.
 20. The system ofclaim 14, wherein the biasing member includes a biasing flange extendingtherefrom and configured to engage the receiving aperture to resistupward movement of the lever portion with respect to the base portion.